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Thursday 15 March 2012

Author Bio - Paulo Coelho

Paolo Coelho was born on August 20, 1946, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Coelho attended Jesuit schools and was raised by devout Catholic parents. He determined early on that he wanted to be a writer but was discouraged by his parents, who saw no future in that profession in Brazil. In the 60-s in Brazil art was forbidden by military dictatorship. Worrying about the future of their son and trying to protect him from prosecutions of the authorities, his parents sent Paulo at age 17 to be under the care of a psychiatric hospital. He was committed to an asylum one three separate occasions. Coelho eventually got out of institutional care and enrolled in law school, but dropped out to indulge in the "sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll" of hippie life in the 1970s. He was jailed three times for his political activism and subjected to torture in prison.Once he left prison he tried to work but was dismissed without explanation. It was at this point that he decided to spend his time traveling. The casual meeting in Amsterdam resulted in his meeting with the Catholic Order RAM which was created in 1492. There Paulo learned to understand a language of signs and omens. Being sent in pilgrim travel to Santiago de Compostella, Coelho overcame 80 kilometers on a legendary track of pilgrims.
Coelho is an outspoken activist for peace and social justice, and also supports the free distribution of his work. He and his wife Christina split their time between Rio de Janeiro, and France. His latest book Aleph is a bestselling novel and I'm excited to be able to share it with you next week!

1 comment:

  1. Can't wait to see what you think. I saw this book and have been thinking of picking it up!

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